The Forgotten Book

December 1, 2017

Gr 7 Up-Emma attends Stolzenberg Academy, one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the world, but only because her father's the headmaster. After she returns from an awful vacation with her mother and her mother's new boyfriend, Emma discovers a book that makes everything go her way at school. But there's a dangerous element to it as well, and she must figure out a years-old mystery before it consumes her. When new boy Darcy de Winter arrives, ostensibly on a vacation around Europe, Emma is immediately suspicious, especially after Darcy locks her out of the castle library where she discovered the book. But once she realizes his connection to the mystery, they must team up to solve the case. A clever book with winks at Jane Austen novels, this boarding school story will also delight fantasy fans. Glaser is a strong writer, and the characters are likable, although the secondary characters tend to be less well rounded. The dialogue can be stilted and the novel's Austen homages make the ending predictable, but it is still a solid purchase. VERDICT A strong choice for those who are too young for Libba Bray's "Gemma Doyle" trilogy.-Stacey Shapiro, Tenafly Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 18, 2017
Sixteen-year-old Emma Morgenroth loves Stolzenburg Castle, the German boarding school where her father serves as headmaster. While in the unused west wing of the castle, Emma discovers an ancient book she calls the chronicle. Whatever is written in it comes true, something Emma discovers after accidentally unleashing a lion on school grounds. Students have written in the book for generations, and excerpts from it appear throughout Glaser’s novel, along with the story of a faun seeking his true love. Two boys have also arrived at the castle, and one of them, Darcy de Winter, wants to investigate the disappearance of his twin sister, Gina, four years earlier. Darcy initially feuds with Emma, but when Gina’s disappearance appears linked to the chronicle, they join forces to find her. Boarding school life provides a vivid backdrop to the twisty central mystery. Emma’s narration can be stiff and dense with detail (“From the late afternoon onward, ex-students would start arriving for the school’s 190th alumni reunion, and the climax of the festivities would be on Sunday evening at the annual Stolzenburg Autumn Ball”), but Gläser (The Book Jumper) keeps readers guessing until the end. Ages 12–up.